Electromagnetic Nail Sweeper

ABSTRACT

The electromagnetic sweeper has many advantages over current magnetic sweepers. For example, one can turn off the electric current to release the ferrous material which has been captured by the sweeper. One does not have to pull off captured materials due to the use of electromagnets rather than permanent magnets. The device is also light weight and very easy to use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nail sweepers which use permanent magnets to collect ferrous debris have been commonly used tools for decades. The first device that we are aware of was Sojstrom's U.S. Pat. No. 2,426,795. His sweeper used permanent magnets to attract ferrous material, which was then removed by hand. This required the operator to pull off debris that was often sharp, which sometimes resulted in cut fingers or poked hands. An alternative design was present in Harrison et al.'s U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,083. Harrison et al.'s sweeper used a lever to pull a magnet, tucked inside a box, away from a non-magnetic plate. Once the magnet reached a large enough distance away from the non-magnetic plate, any ferrous material would be released. The core issues with this design are 1) that it required the use of a heavy and unwieldly box to house the magnet 2) it forces the operator to mechanically pull a lever to release the collected material, an action that is awkward to perform.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Our sweeper uses electromagnets, which are controlled by an on/off switch, to collect ferrous materials. It solves many issues present in current magnetic sweepers as the combined use of an electromagnet and a control switch allow one to release collected materials with far less effort. Because the magnet is only active when the switch is in the ‘on’ position, the operator does not have to manually remove the collected debris. Our design is likewise superior to Harrison et al.'s in that it does not require a heavy box to house the magnet or any mechanical effort to release the collected debris. One simply pushes a button.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, Hand Grip 1 with an On/Off switch 2 is attached to a handle bar 3. Which connects to housing frame 5 and battery adapter plate 6. The Battery 4 connects to the battery adapter plate 6 The wires 7 connect the battery adapter plate 6 to the electromagnets 9. The housing frame 5 also holds the electromagnets 9 and attaches the wheels 8 and a cover 10 which is affixed with bolts 11 and nuts 12. The two wheels 8 attached to the housing frame 5 on each end thereby allowing the device to be easily rolled along the floor. Because the device utilizes electromagnets, it is necessary for an electric current to run from the battery through to the magnets. The wires 7 which run from the battery 4 to the electromagnets 7. These wires are protected by a non-ferrous metallic cover 10 which is held in places by two non-magnetic bolts 11 and nuts 12. The wires 7 from the battery loops through the handle bar and up to the On/Off switch 2. This allows the device to be turned on or off with the push of a button. Now that an outline of the device has been given; it is necessary to make a few brief notes. The device uses electromagnets to gather ferrous material so the majority of the framing materials are made out of either aluminum or plastic. The aluminum frame itself (this is the part of the device that includes the handle bar, housing frame, and electromagnet cover) is welded together to provide strength. 

1. The device allows one to release captured ferrous materials with the push of a button.
 2. The device allows one to collect ferrous materials by releasing them over a bucket.
 3. The device does not require one to bend over to pull the collected material off of the magnets.
 4. The device's push button operation means that one does not have to risk cutting one's fingers by manually removing captured ferrous material. 